Scarred Hearts
by H.E. Winter
Summary: 'Who in the bloody hell is that' James Potter asked loudly. He pointed down the platform, to where Lily Evans stood on the tips of her toes, stretching up to kiss a tall blonde boy. Sirius leant forward, resting his forearms on the handles of this luggage trolley, and watched the pair with mild interest. 'I'm going to hazard a guess and say that that's Evans' boyfriend,' he said.
1. Chapter 1

**SCARRED HEARTS**

**H.E. Winter**

**CHAPTER ONE: SEPTEMBER 1, 1977  
**

**-JAMES-**

* * *

For the first time, James Potter was nervous about his return to Hogwarts. This year – his last year – was an important one. He would be finishing his NEWT-level classes, he had the Quidditch Cup title to uphold, and, in quite a surprising turn of events, he had been made Head Boy. James was determined to prove himself. He was quiet as he pushed his luggage through Kings Cross, making his way towards Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, with his best friend, Sirius Black, at his side.

He waved to a few classmates as he moved towards the platform, but stopped in his tracks when he set eyes on one particular classmate. A girl with wavy red hair was striding along, about twenty paces in front of him. It was Lily Evans. She was approaching the barrier between Platform's Nine and Ten, pushing a trolley loaded with trunks and bags, when she turned to speak to an older couple – her parents, James presumed. They each hugged her, then stepped back to let someone else step forward.

'Who in the bloody hell is _that_?' James Potter asked loudly, unable to stop the words escaping his mouth.

'What?' Sirius asked, coming to an abrupt halt.

'That,' James said, more quietly this time. 'Him.' He pointed down the platform, to where Lily Evans stood on the tips of her toes, stretching up to kiss a tall blonde boy, who was leaning against the side of the barrier between Kings Cross and Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Sirius leant forward, resting his forearms on the handles of this luggage trolley, and watched the pair with mild interest.

'I'm going to hazard a guess and say that that's Evans' boyfriend,' he said.

James shouldn't have really been surprised. Lily was pretty, with her dark red hair, pale skin, and bright eyes. She was very clever, very witty, and quite popular. Especially amongst the boys.

'But who _is_ he?' James asked.

'I don't know, mate. But he hasn't got a school trunk or anything with him,' Sirius noted, looking up at James through the shaggy black hair that fell into his eyes. 'You know, I reckon he might be a muggle.'

'A mug- Lily's got a _muggle_ boyfriend?!'

'Well, she _is _muggleborn. She lives with muggles three months out of a year. It's not exactly shocking, is it?'

James didn't reply.

'You're not _jealous_, are you?' Sirius asked, with a smirk, straightening up.

'No!'

Sirius gave him a look.

'_No_…' James repeated. 'I just can't believe he's met her bloody parents.'

Sirius continued to stare, one eyebrow cocked dramatically.

'I'm not jealous!' James said. 'Evans and I… we're friends, okay?'

'Alright!' Sirius said, raising his palms and shrugging his shoulders. 'Alright, I believe you.'

Lily Evans had pulled away from the boy now, a blush rising on her cheeks, as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She addressed the small group in front of her. James and Sirius were too far away to hear their voices, but after a moment she kissed them each on the cheek once more, before they left her standing alone next to the barrier to the Platform. She watched them go. James and Sirius stood stationary, watching her. After a moment, Lily glanced both ways before pushing herself off the bricks and wheeling her trolley around so that she was facing the barrier. She glanced once more around the side of the pillar, then took off at a run.

For some reason – he couldn't tell you what possessed him to do it – James took off after her.

* * *

When he emerged on the platform, Lily was already halfway towards the gleaming red steam engine which waited on the tracks. He took off at a run.

'EVANS!' he called.

She turned, red waves fanning out around her.

'Potter?' she asked, after a pause, as he came to a halt in front of her.

'Evans,' he repeated. Suddenly, he realised he had no idea what he was doing there, or what he had been planning to say when he arrived. He cleared his throat. 'Good summer?'

Lily's brow furrowed infinitesimally, but she answered nonetheless. There had been a period of time, after fifth year, and even in the beginning of sixth year, where Lily refused to even look at him, much less speak to him. That was after he had made a complete fool of himself in front of her. He'd behaved terribly, insulting what had been one of her closest friends, causing Lily to flat out ignore him for a number of months. James had realised quickly that his actions had been wrong. He had been a bully. He and Lily had put it behind them now, but they were by no means the closest of friends.

'It was fine,' Lily said. 'How was yours?'

'Good. Fine,' James answered. 'Anything… exciting happen?'

_What_ was he doing? He would have slapped himself if it wouldn't have made him look like even more of an idiot.

Lily's eyes narrowed. He was caught. She was going to 'Like what?'

'Like the exciting news about your recent appointment as Head Girl,' another voice said, without missing a beat. Sirius Black. Pushing two baggage trolleys. Merlin bless him. 'Thanks for leaving me with all the luggage by the way, James. And congratulations, Evans.'

Lily squinted over at them. 'Okay,' she said, as she looked up at them. 'I don't know what all the flattery's about, but I've kind of got to get going.' She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, back towards the train. 'I've got a prefect meeting to run, and I still have to find out who the Head Boy is.'

James attempted to disguise a slight choking noise as a cough.

'Well, that'll be a nice surprise,' Sirius said, genially. James wanted to punch him. Instead, he grabbed his luggage trolley roughly, and jerked it away.

'We'd better get this stuff onto the train,' he said hastily. 'Things to do, people to see, you know. Best be off.'

'Stellar idea, mate,' Sirius confirmed, looking as though he was trying very hard not to laugh. James definitely wanted to punch him.

The two boys set off towards the end of the train in a hurry, pushing their trolleys in front of them, leaving a confused Lily behind.

'So, I take it you never got round to owling Lily to let her know about you being made Head Boy,' Sirius said, as they shoved their bags onto the luggage car.

'Well, no,' James said, 'I mean, what was I supposed to say?'

'Hello, Lily-flower, Lover Boy here. Just wanted to-'

'I don't _love_ her,' he growled. 'I just…'

'Like her.'

James dragged a hand through his hair, took a deep breath, and narrowed his eyes.

'No,' he said. 'I just knew she'd be angry when she found out, so I avoided it. Alright?'

Sirius shrugged. 'Alright.'

'Anyway, time for a subject change-'

'All aboard!' a conductor called from the platform. 'Two minutes!'

'There's your subject change,' Sirius said, a smirk on his lips. 'Let's get a move on.'

'Shouldn't we wait for Remus and Pete?'

'Moony's always early, Prongs. He's probably all set up in a compartment by now, doing his knitting.'

'And Wormy?'

'Yes, well…' Sirius said, unconvincingly.

'He'll turn up,' James decided after a moment, and they climbed onto the train. 'He usually scrapes in on time. Besides, it's Ellie I should be worried about.'

'Johanssen? She's late every year,' Sirius shrugged, unconcerned.

James sighed. There were two contradictory words which could be used to describe Sirius: affectionate and standoffish. Though he was close with most of the seventh years in Gryffindor, particularly with James, and their other best friends, Remus and Peter, Sirius and Ellie had never been especially friendly. They were cordial towards one another – well, Ellie was cordial; Sirius tended come off as a little more gruff – but James had always suspected some ill-feeling between the pair. Perhaps Sirius was jealous of Ellie. Jealous of their friendship, even though he and Sirius were as close as brothers.

James was not quite sure when exactly he had met Ellie. She was one of those people that you couldn't ever really remember _not_ knowing. Her parents also worked in the Auror department and the two of them had been playing together since a very young age while important meetings took place at the Ministry, watched over by one of Ellie's four older brothers.

Just then, the conductor's whistle sounded from outside. Sirius' head whipped around. Another yell was heard from the platform. 'Wait!' A girl cried. James and Sirius glanced at one another, and then stood to move towards the window in the corridor. A petite girl with big, dark eyes, and long, dark hair was pushing her way through the crowd of parents gathered to farewell the students on the platform, trying to tug a denim jacket on, with her heavy looking school bag sliding down her arm. This was Ellie Johanssen.

'Typical,' muttered Sirius.

'Every year,' James agreed.

'Wait, wait, _wait_, for Merlin's sake!' the girl said shrilly. Her outstretched hand grasped the railing leading onto the train just as it began to pull away from the stations, and she hauled herself on board, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder with a huff. In typical Ellie manner, she shook her hair back from her face, pushed her shoulders back and jerked her chin up, and made her way down the aisle.

'Hi,' she said breathlessly, when she reached the two boys. She stretched up on her toes to kiss James on the cheek. They both stared at her as she pulled away.

'What?' she asked innocently.

'Every year,' James repeated, shaking his head, but moving in for a hug before relieving his friend of her heavy bag. She smiled angelically and slid an arm around his waist. 'How are you late _every year_, El?'

The girl shrugged, and looked towards the other boy.

'All right, Black?'

'Not bad,' he said. Then, after a pause that bordered on awkward: 'Did you have a good holiday?'

'Well, my parents shipped me off to spend two months with my stuffy old grandparents, and I can't _really_ say that's my idea of a good time.'

Sirius let out a short laugh, though he looked like he was trying not to.

'I told you you could have just come and stay with me,' James said, as the three moved into the compartment, sliding the door shut behind them.

'I couldn't. I was forced. Hardly allowed to leave the house, actually.'

'How terrible,' James teased. 'Not allowed to leave your grandparents' summer home in the Swedish countryside.'

'You'd have had a terrible summer, too, if you'd been stuck with them, hearing lecture after lecture about how important it is that I attract someone nice to marry after I finish school.'

'Touche,' James nodded. 'Anyway, next time, just break out and come and stay with me.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' she laughed. Then suddenly narrowed her eyes, as if remembering something. 'Hold on. Haven't _you_ got somewhere you're supposed to be?'

'What?'

'I'm pretty sure that as Head Boy, you're supposed to be at the Prefect meeting.'

'Errr… well- well, it doesn't start for another half hour, but-'

'Why all the stuttering?' she demanded, then looked to Sirius. 'What's wrong with him?'

'He's a wuss, that's what.'

'I'm not a wuss, I've just been avoiding, thank you very much.'

'Avoiding what?'

'The meeting,' Sirius supplied.

'Why?'

'Evans doesn't know yet.'

'Ohhhh,' Ellie laughed. 'How I wish I was allowed into that meeting.'

'Well, he did have the perfect opportunity to let her know, about 5 minutes ago, but no.'

Ellie was still laughing.

'You're an evil woman,' James told her. 'Anyway, there's still' – James checked his watch – '28 minutes before the meeting. She'll find out then. Until then, I need a cig. Get the window, will you, Sirius?'

* * *

28 minutes later, James checked his watch.

'Fuck,' he muttered, passing his second cigarette to Sirius, who took one long drag before stubbing it out. 'I've got to get to this meeting.'

He stood and looked between Ellie and Sirius. Sirius had clenched his jaw, and looked unimpressed by the idea of being left alone with Ellie. Ellie was glancing around the compartment, looking unsure of where to begin a conversation without James present. After a moment, she cleared her throat and stood, smoothing out her dress.

'Well, I'd better go and change into my uniform and find the girls,' she said. 'I'll see you at the feast.' She brushed past James, giving him a tight smile, and set off down the corridor.

James shrugged, and reached for his backpack to retrieve his school robes.

'Well, Moony shouldn't get held up too long,' he said, as he dressed. 'He usually finishes rounds after an hour or so. And Peter must be around somewhere. Might be he's playing Gobstones. Anyway, I probably won't be back til we pull in at Hogsmeade. Wish me luck.'

James straightened his tie, and left the compartment.

Just as he was heading into the narrow corridor of the Prefects' carriage, he bumped into a dark figure entering the hallway from an adjacent compartment.

'Watch where you're going,' the boy spat.

Then, they made eye contact. It was Severus Snape. He was a Prefect, and also one of James' biggest adversaries.

'Potter. What are you doing down here? This is the Prefect's carriage.'

'I know. I'm going to the meeting.'

'You're not allowed to go to the meeting. It's exclusive. You have to be invited, Potter. You have to be a Prefect.'

'Or a Head Boy,' James pointed out.

Snape stared blankly, before he seemed to comprehend James' meaning. His lip curled. He whirled away angrily, shoving past James and storming down the corridor, before closing the door to the compartment behind him. James followed, but paused outside the door. From inside, he could hear voices. The chatter of the other Prefects had died down after Snape had entered, it seemed.

'Snape?' a voice James instantly recognised as Lily's said.

'Don't worry, Evans,' Snape replied. 'It's not me. The Head Boy will come strutting in in just a moment, I'm sure.'

There were scattered whispers amongst the Prefects. Almost everyone in the upper years had either witnessed or heard about the falling out between her and Severus Snape at the end of fifth year – a falling out that James had had a fair bit to do with. The tales had been twisted and rumours spread about what had happened, but Snape had ruined his friendship with Lily. She had never forgiven him for the names he had called her.

'Right,' Lily said loudly, cutting across the whispers. She clasped her hands in front of her with a loud clap. 'Er, well, first of all, welcome. It's good to see you all. We're just waiting on the Head Boy… so, um, until then, I'll just-'

James could hear her floundering, so he chose that moment to make his entrance. The room fell silent when he walked in.

'Potter,' Lily said tiredly, 'this is a prefect's meeting. We're about to start, so unless you can tell me where the Head Boy is, you'll need to leave.'

'As it happens, I can,' he said. 'He's right here.'

He regretted saying it as soon as the words came out of his mouth. He sounded like _such_ a ponce. Lily's green eyes flicked across the room, then looked back to James, confusion covering her face.

'Where?' she frowned.

Bloody _hell_.

'It's me,' James huffed, his shoulders falling.

'You-' she cut herself off. Perhaps she had seen him wince, and decided to save him any more embarrassment. Fantastic. Then, suddenly: 'Sirius!' she hissed. 'That bloody bastard.'

James stared. So did everyone else. He tried not to smile, as colour rose on her cheeks in embarrassment.

'Sorry,' she said quickly, 'I just- I should've known when he said- earlier- Oh, never mind. Let's make a start.'

And with that, he took his place beside Lily, and the meeting began.

* * *

The trained pull in to Hogsmeade station just after dark. James stepped onto the Platform and held the door of the carriage open as younger students poured out. The Gamekeeper, Hagrid, was at the end of the platform, calling for the First years to follow him. Lily was on the platform, helping to herd them in Hagrid's direction. James had to do one last sweep of the train to make sure it was empty, and that the prefects had gone on to oversee everyone's passage onto the carriages. There were two carriages waiting when he got to the clearing where they left from. Leaning against one, Sirius waited with Remus and Peter, two of his other closest friends, and their other two roommates, Connor McKinnon, and Benjy Fenwick. Near the other carriage, a group of girls stood chatting. Ellie was amongst them, a smile dimpling her cheeks as she listened to one of her dorm mates, Marlene MacBride, tell an animated story. Mary MacDonald, another dorm mate, giggled behind her hand. Lily had arrived just before him, and was greeting each of the girls with a hug.

'How was the ride?' he heard Ellie ask, in a falsely innocent voice.

'It was- You knew!' Lily gasped. 'You knew about Potter and you didn't tell me! Everyone _bloody_ knew!'

'Well, I thought he would've told you!' She grinned. James grinned, too, though he turned away from the group of girls and pretended the only reason he was smiling was because he was happy to see Remus and Peter after the holiday.

In truth, the meeting had gone surprisingly well. Aside from a few snide comments from the Slytherins, and a number of questions regarding his appointment, things had run smoothly. When James had received the letter, notifying him of his position as Head Boy, he hadn't been sure he would be up to the task. He still wasn't _sure_, per say, but after Lily's shocked reaction, she had recovered well, and had led the meeting without a hitch. If anything, he was sure that Lily would keep him from doing anything drastically wrong.

James was tired by the time they reached the castle. Along with the others, he shuffled into the Great Hall, and took his seat at the Gryffindor table. The Sorting Hat sang its song, and Professor McGonagall unfurled a long roll of parchment before them all. She cleared her throat, then began reading. One by one, the group of First years at the front of the hall grew smaller, as they joined their new houses. The process continued smoothly until about half of the cohort were left.

'Eleanor Lovell,' McGonagall said clearly.

Hushed whispers coursed throughout the hall. Eleanor Lovell was the daughter of the Minister for Magic. She had an older sister in Ravenclaw. Whenever someone with a prominent name arrived at Hogwarts, their sorting was fussed over. The entire hall watched as they waited for the young girl to emerge, but nothing happened.

'Eleanor Lovell,' McGonagall called again, this time more loudly.

People were craning their necks now. Still, nobody emerged.

'Eleanor Lovell!' McGonagall barked. 'Come forward!'

James found his heart was thudding in his chest. He glanced around him, looking for movement, waiting for a young girl to run through the doors of the hall, apologising for being late, for falling into the lake, for having got lost, for anything. But when nobody came forward, a figure shot up in the place at the neighbouring table. A tall brunette girl, with pale skin and impeccably neat hair had risen from her seat. It was Joanna Lovell, the Minister's other daughter. James recognised her from his Arithmancy class.

'Eleanor, that's enough, stop playing around! Come out,' she commanded. Nobody moved, except to affix their gaze to Joanna. When it became clear that Eleanor was not in the Great Hall, Joanna shakily pressed her hands down over the front of her uniform, smoothing it, then sat in her place. She kept her chin held high, but James didn't miss her rapid blinking, as though she was trying to hold back tears.

As she sat, the Headmaster stood.

'The remaining First years will follow Professor McGonagall into the side chamber to conclude their Sorting. The rest of you will please follow your heads of houses and prefects to your respective common rooms for your safety. Supper will be served there. The Head students will meet me in my office in ten minutes. Move quickly and directly,' Professor Dumbledore instructed. 'Go now.'


	2. Chapter 2

**SCARRED HEARTS**

**By H.E. Winter**

**CHAPTER TWO: SEPTEMBER 2, 1977**

**-LILY-**

They hadn't found Eleanor Lovell. The professors had searched all night and come up with nothing. Professor Dumbledore had sent owls, Patronuses, and all manner of other messages out to those who might have any idea where the girl was, but nobody had any information. She had last been seen boarding the Hogwarts Express.

After Lily and James had met with the Headmaster to confirm that neither of them had seen the girl, nor noticed anything suspicious on the Platform or on the train, he escorted them back to the Gryffindor common room. But not before reminding them that they should feel at fault for what had happened. But Lily did feel guilty.

She had done nothing wrong. She knew that. But as Head Girl, she had a higher level of responsibility, and she had been the one who was supposed to oversee patrols on the train. A girl had gone missing from right under her nose. Since the students had no concrete evidence on just what had happened to Eleanor, it seemed easy enough to cast some of the blame onto her and James for not keeping a better eye on the students.

In hindsight – Lily thought – it would have been wise to have a few of the Hogwarts staff present on the train. With all that was going on in the wizarding world at the moment, Voldemort and his blood-purity crazed followers were more than a threat than ever. Even though Hogwarts was something of a safe haven, Lily had to admit that it was a little naïve to assume that sending hundreds of teenage witches and wizards across the country unguarded would be safe.

When Lily had woken the next morning, a Friday, it was to news that classes wouldn't be starting until after the weekend. Her best friend, Ellie, was already awake and rushing around the room.

'Good – you're finally awake,' she said, as Lily swung the hangings of her four poster bed and squinted into the bright morning light.

'What time is it?' Lily groaned, rolling onto her stomach and leaning over the edge of her bed.

'Only 7 o'clock,' Ellie answered. She was already dressed, but not in her uniform. Instead, she had on a short brown skirt and a pale blue blouse which contrasted against her olive skin. She was currently facing the mirror, tying her hair into a loose braid. 'I've already been down to breakfast. Classes are cancelled. Dumbledore's sent owls home to the parents to let them know what's happened. I bumped into Pip Hendersen in the girls' bathroom on my way up here, and she said the Minister of Magic came to get Jo Lovell last night to take her home.'

Lily lifted one hand to rub at her eyes, then propped herself up on her elbows. 'Parents have been written to?'

Ellie turned away from the mirror, and with lips pursed, she nodded.

'I wasn't planning on telling mine either,' she said. 'Although I suppose they would have found out at work sooner rather than later. Not to mention the fact that it'll be all over the Evening Prophet. I'm sure it'll be fine, though, Lil. Eleanor will turn up eventually and all this will blow over.'

'I hope you're right,' Lily sighed. 'But until then, I hope I can convince them to let me stay.'

Just then, the bathroom door opened, and another of their roommates, Samantha Jordan, stepped into the dormitory. She was so tall that she had to duck her head to make sure she didn't knock it on the low stone doorframe. Her dark hair was tied into hundreds of braids and twisted into a bun on top of her head, and she was dressed only in a set of white cotton underwear, which looked incredibly bright against her dark skin.

'At least your parents live far enough away that they won't get the letter til later today,' Samantha said, cocking a hip, and propping herself against the wall with her forearm. 'Marlene's parents live just over in Inverness, and they've already sent an owl back during breakfast saying they'll be here to pick her up tonight.'

Ellie nodded in confirmation. Apparently Lily had missed a lot at breakfast this morning.

'But surely they know that Marlene's a lot safer here than she is out of school,' she said.

Samantha shrugged, and crossed the room, opening her wardrobe and rummaging inside. At that moment, Marlene burst into the room, her pale face flushed. She was followed quickly by a worried-looking Mary MacDonald.

'They _can't_ pull me out of school!' Marlene said tearfully, barely understandable between her thick Scottish accent and her sobs. 'Quidditch trials are next weekend, and I trained all summer so that I could make the team!'

'Mar, you've written them back, and that's all you can do for now. If they still show up tonight, I'm sure you can reason with them,' Mary reassured her.

'They won't listen.' Marlene dumped the trunk that she had just unpacked the night before on the end of her bed, and flung a stack of books in, then stared at them for a moment, before collapsing on top of her quilt next to it. 'I can't pack,' she said. 'I just can't.' With that, she swung the bed curtains closed with a flick of her wand, leaving the other four girls trying to think of something to say.

Eventually, Samantha, now dressed in a bright yellow polo and brown corduroys, crossed to the doorway.

'Well, I'm going to head out,' she said, before exiting.

'I, er, suppose I'll go and see what James is up to,' Ellie said, glancing concernedly towards Marlene's shrouded bed. She gave Lily a tight-lipped smile before following Samantha out of the dormitory.

Mary grimaced over at Lily before she slumped back on her bed, next to Marlene's, and snagged a book from her bedside table. She was settling in for a while, Lily decided.

With a groan, Lily rolled back into the middle of her bed and stared up at the covered top of her four-poster.

_It's too early for this_, she thought, before flinging an arm over her face, and closing her eyes, hoping that she'd be able to drift back off to sleep.

When Lily blearily blinked her eyes open, many hours later, her stomach made a loud growling noise. She squinted at the small face of her gold wristwatch, and saw, to her dismay, that she was about to miss lunch.

By the time she had showered and dressed, the meal was well past over. She'd have to sneak into the kitchens and grab something to eat, having missed breakfast as well. Lily decided to make a trip of it, maybe she'd go and sit down by the lake. She needed to draft a letter to her parents, to reassure them that Hogwarts was where she wanted and needed to remain.

The stroll down to the kitchens was quiet. Despite the day off classes, none of the students seemed to be using it for leisure. The halls were practically deserted. It seemed that the news of letters being written home had spread throughout the school, and, like Lily, most people were trying to get in contact with their parents. She didn't have trouble sneaking into the kitchens. Since there was no-one around, she didn't need to be particularly secretive.

When she stepped inside, she was shocked to find a black-haired boy already sitting on one of the benches, with an enormous plate of chocolate brownies, a steaming cup of black coffee, and the morning edition of the _Daily Prophet_ in front of him.

'Hullo, Evans,' Sirius Black said, looking up.

'Hi,' said Lily.

She and Sirius weren't close. Lily was a fairly popular girl. She got along well with most people, but she spent most of her free time with the girls from her dorm. Though, she could count the seventh year Gryffindor boys amongst her outer circle, given that she had shared classes with them for the past six years.

'What are you doing down here?' he asked.

'Slept through lunch.'

'You slept til lunchtime?' Sirius laughed.

'Still in holiday mode,' Lily shrugged. She sat at the bench across from the boy, and reached over to take a brownie. 'But all this business about the Minister's daughter is snapping me back to reality.'

'It's odd, isn't it?' Sirius mused. 'Merlin knows how she managed to disappear from inside a moving train.'

'Mm,' Lily hummed.

'Reckon your parents will worry?'

'They're usually quite level-headed, but… well, honestly, I don't know how they'll react to the news. I was going to write to them and let them know not to worry.'

'Well, what are you going to say?'

Lily shrugged again, taking another bite of her brownie.

'Okay, how about this?' Sirius said, after a pause. He plucked a brownie from the platter and rested his elbows on the table. '"Dear Mum and Dad. It's really not as big of a deal as everyone's making it out to be-"'

Lily snorted. 'No.'

'Okay. "Mum, Dad, Hogwarts is the safest place for me, even despite the abduction."'

'You're not exactly being helpful.'

'Alright, alright. How about: "Save yourself the worry – they've found her safe and sound."'

'I can't _lie_ to them!'

Sirius barked out a laugh, and took a bite out of the brownie.

'Oh, Evans,' he said, around a mouthful of the gooey chocolate stuff. 'I'm just toying around. I'm sure you'll come up with something that'll put your parents' minds at ease.'

'Let's hope so.' Otherwise she honestly wasn't sure what would happen. She wanted to finish her education in the wizarding world. This was where she belonged. If she went home, sure, she'd get to see her boyfriend, Justin, again, she'd get to spend more time with her mum and dad, but… she didn't belong there. Her boyfriend and her parents were all that tied her to the muggle world now. She didn't have a future there anymore. Her friends, her education, her future… they were all here. And she didn't know how to feel about the threat to that.

'What about the other girls? How's the mood in the dormitory?' Sirius asked, drawing her out of her head.

'Marlene's in a panic. Her parents want to take her home. Mary's fretting about her. I think Sam seems the most relaxed about it.'

'How about Johanssen?' Sirius asked casually, after a pause.

'Oh,' Lily said, taken a little aback. From what she knew, he and Ellie weren't close at all. Of the Gryffindor boys, it was James that Ellie spent all her time with. 'She doesn't seem too worried.'

Sirius nodded slowly, and Lily watched him.

'Well, I'd better head off,' he said abruptly. 'Good luck with the letter, Evans.'

He plucked one last brownie from the plate, pushed himself up from the table, and left the kitchen.

Lily frowned. But shrugged nonetheless, and rummaged in her bag to pull out a roll of parchment, quill, and bottle of ink. Despite Sirius' tongue in cheek advice, it still took her a while to pen something she was happy with.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_You'll probably have heard by now about what happened to one of the first years on the trip to school. She hasn't turned up yet, but the Headmaster is hopeful she'll be found safe. I suppose I wanted to write to reassure you that I'm safe here. We're under all sorts of protective enchantments, and all that besides, Professor Dumbledore is the only person You-Know-Who is truly afraid of. So please don't spend too much time worrying. I'm fine, and very safe here._

_All my love,_

_Lily_

It was short, and to the point, but still, after having a few cups of tea, finishing the plate of brownies, and having a flick through Sirius' discarded paper, by the time she left the kitchen, it was almost time for dinner. Despite not having much of an appetite, she decided to make her way to the owlery before setting off for the hall.

Dinner, which was usually served at six, was curiously absent from the house tables when students started filing in for the meal. Dumbledore was at the front of the hall, at the podium, directing students to sit down. Lily took a seat next to Ellie, who had already arrived with James. All of the other seventh years were sitting across from one another at the table. Marlene and Peggy Sato, their sixth and last roommate, were in deep discussion. Peggy was sitting with one thickset, bronze leg dangling over the edge of the bench with the other tucked under her, and was facing Marlene, propping her chin up with one hand, her elbow resting on the edge of the table. She was twisting a strand of long, dark hair around her finger.

'On one hand,' Marlene was saying to her, 'I don't want to leave. But on the other, if I did leave, I'd get to see Hamish more often. I might even be able to go and live with him.'

Peggy nodded seriously.

'I don't know what makes you think your parents would be any happier about you going off to live with Hamish,' Ellie said, joining in on the conversation.

Hamish Wood was Marlene's boyfriend, and had graduated two years earlier. Now he played Quidditch professionally, which meant that even when Marlene was home from school, or on Hogsmeade weekends, she still barely got to see him.

'You're probably right,' Marlene said with a sigh. 'What do you think, Lil?'

'Well, I definitely don't think they'd be happy about you moving in with him,' she said. 'But… look, Mar, I'm sure they're only doing this because they think it's safer for you there. Personally, I think the closer we are to Dumbledore, the safer we are. The parents probably know that, too, but they're afraid. So you might just have to be forceful with them, Marlene. Let them know you're old enough to make your own choices, and that you want to stay here.'

Suddenly, Ellie placed her goblet back onto the wooden table with a thump. 'There's something we've overlooked,' she said. 'Marlene's seventeen.' The seventh years looked at her in confusion, before she explained herself. 'She won't need to be forceful with them. Marlene, if you want to stay here then it's _your _choice. You're seventeen. You're of age. Legally, they can't force you to leave.'

Apparently, nobody had thought of this. Admittedly, neither had Lily. She would have to keep it in mind if her parents didn't heed what she had said in her letter.

'Merlin,' Marlene said, with a grin coming across her face. 'You're right. I didn't even _think_ of that!'

Ellie shrugged, but grinned.

'Well, then,' Lily said, with a smile, 'I suppose that answers what you're supposed to do if your parents show up here tonight trying to drag you home.'

Once the hall was full, Dumbledore began to speak.

'Welcome,' he called. 'Welcome. Your brief attention, please, before we eat.' The murmuring of the students hushed, and Dumbledore continued. 'As many of you now are aware, your parents and guardians have been notified of what occurred on the Hogwarts Express last night. Some students have returned home with their parents, and more of you may need to return home at your parents request within the coming days, however, I should remind you that within these walls, you are safe. This castle is secure, and no harm will befall you here. You may-' Dumbledore gazed around the room, eyes twinkling, '-like to remind your parents of this. We will, however, be bringing the nightly curfew forward to 8 o'clock, as of tonight. You ought to conclude all after-dinner activities before this time and return to your common rooms. There will be professors and prefects on duty to ensure that none of you are out of bed beyond these hours.

'But enough of the bad news,' he continued. 'I have arranged for the wonderful feast we missed last night to be served tonight. Tuck in!' With a wave of a wrinkled old hand, plate after plate of food appeared on the long house tables, and the students excitedly, as was Dumbledore's instruction, tucked in.

By the time the meal was over, it was almost time for the curfew to take effect. The students had streamed out of the hall after the plates and dishes had disappeared, and now Lily and James were strolling along the second floor corridor in a comfortable silence.

'Shame about the curfew, isn't it?' James said.

'I suppose it must be for you. It'll make all your nocturnal excursions a little more difficult, won't it?' Lily said with a smile, referring to his usual disregard for the rules, and penchant for pulling pranks of the rest of the students.

It was a playful jape, but James paused, mid-step, and looked at her.

'What nocturnal excursions?' he asked innocently.

Apparently, she had alarmed him. She had thought most people knew about what he and his friends got up to after hours. She pressed him a little further, laughing before she spoke. 'Potter, I know your secret.' She had worked out a couple of years ago how the famous four Gryffindor boys managed all their tricks.

Lily saw the tendons in his neck strain.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' he said.

'Oh, come on. You don't have to hide it from me. Frankly, I think it's pretty impressive.'

'Lily,' James said in a panicked voice, 'this isn't something that can get out. You have no idea of the consequences if somebody found out. I don't even know how _you_ found out, but if _anyone_ else does, we could end up in Azkaban and-'

'Potter, calm down,' Lily said, confused. 'It's an invisibility cloak, it's not illegal, it just explains a lot-'

'Oh,' James breathed. 'I, er-'

'I won't tell anyone,' Lily said, 'if that's what you're worried about.'

Clearly, she had panicked him. But she couldn't see why knowing the secret behind the genius of his pranks was any reason to cause that much alarm. Lily had the strong suspicion that James had thought she had uncovered a different secret. But what was it? She didn't know whether to ask. James clearly didn't want her to find out, but she had been close to uncovering something. And he had been close to giving himself away. She wanted desperately to know what it was. But before she could even think about how she might phrase a question, James was talking again.

'Well, surely, the curfew can't be all fun and games for you. Think of all the trips to the library you'll miss out on.'

'I hardly ever study in the library. You're getting me mixed up with Ellie.'

'Hm.' He was uneasy with her now, she could tell.

'The only thing this curfew will affect is my after-hours trips to the kitchen,' she said, trying to lighten the mood.

'Well, only if you get caught,' James said, catching on.

'It's happened before.'

'Don't tell me the perfect Lily Evans has had a detention.'

'I've got a few under my belt,' she said. 'Ten maybe, over the years.'

'You've been caught sneaking to the kitchens that many times?'

'Not _that_ many times.'

'Why all the detentions then?'

'Talking back to teachers, mostly. Apparently they don't appreciate my wit.'

James laughed. Their banter continued as their patrol did. They had only had to tell off a few kids for being out after hours, by the time they reached the seventh floor. It was quiet up there, and their conversation had died down as their patrol shift came closer to its end. The sound of heavy, running footsteps echoed off the stone walls. At that moment, a tall figure came barrelling down the hallway. It was Marlene MacBride, her blonde pigtails flowing behind her, and her cheeks very pink.

'Oh!' she said. 'Thank Merlin it's just you two.'

'Marlene MacBride,' Lily said in a falsely stern voice, 'what _are_ you doing out of bed?'

She skidded to a halt in front of them, then bent slightly at the middle to catch her breath.

'I'm not going home!' she said excitedly. 'I've just been in a meeting with Dumbledore and my parents, and I told them I'm not coming home with them!'

'Well, carry on then!' Lily said. 'That's wonderful, Mar!'

Marlene swooped in to kiss Lily on the cheek, then pulled back, gave a loud whoop, and continued her sprint down the corridor.

'Preferential treatment, eh?' James said, leaning towards Lily, as they watched Marlene run away from them. 'She's been corrupted! Not two days into the job!'

Lily elbowed him in the side.

'Don't be an idiot,' she grinned.

When they finished their patrol half an hour later, they entered an empty common room. People usually lingered quite late, especially those in the upper years. Lily supposed that the events of the last couple of days had exhausted everyone. Lily was tired, but not ready to go to sleep yet. The fire hadn't quite died down to its embers, so Lily took her favourite armchair next to the hearth, collapsing into it. Instead of going up to his dormitory, James sat on the couch opposite her. They were quiet for a moment, watching the fire, before Lily spoke.

'What do you think happened to her?' Lily said, still staring at the flames.

'I think she was taken,' James replied, knowing immediately who she was talking about. Lily looked over at him. He seemed weary.

'Do you think we're to blame? Don't you think we could have done something more?'

'Lily,' he said, 'It's… it's not our fault. What could we have done?'

'People have been saying… Last night Ellie told me she'd heard people talking in the girls' bathroom. They were saying since we were the ones in charge on the train it was up to us to keep everyone safe. And we didn't.'

'We didn't, Lily, because it's not really our job to. We're there to keep the students in line. Like I said, even if we had known she was in danger, there's nothing we could have done? Really, I think the only ones we can blame here are the ones who took her.'

'You're right. It's just…'

'It's hard to hear people saying it's your fault.'

'Yeah.'

'The important thing is that _we_ know it wasn't our fault.'

Lily nodded, and turned her gaze back to the fire.

Lily slipped into bed late that night, feeling distinctly more relieved than she had the night before. After all that had gone on yesterday, she hadn't felt very glad to be back at Hogwarts, but now, with her letter on its way to her parents, and after her conversation with James, she felt as though things might be a little better tomorrow.


End file.
